Libya’s Presidential Council has called on the country’s institutions to begin transferring power to the unity government that was nominated last month.

In a statement released on 12 March it also called for the international community to stop dealing with rival powers.

Recognition of the new cabinet has been delayed due to hardliners from the eastern House of Representatives (HOR) refusing to vote to approve the new government.

The Presidential Council has also faced stiff opposition from some members within a rival parliament, known as the General National Congress (GNC), which is based in Tripoli.

Libya’s Presidential Council is in charge of creating a new government and overseeing a smooth transition of power, in order to end the political instability and armed conflict that has ravaged the country since Colonel Muammar Gaddafi’s downfall in 2011.

In its statement the council said a document backing the new government, which was signed by a majority of HOR members and endorsement by other political figures, represents a “green light to start work”.

The political vacuum left in the wake of Gaddafi’s departure left room for a wide range of militant groups to take control of territory within the country.